Kimchi
Spiced fermented Chinese cabbage, hot and umami
Gluten · Soya · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Cultural tapas bistrotGalleria Umberto I, Turin
You're at Ramo d'Oro, a cultural bistrot in the Gran Serraglio, the hidden wing of Galleria Umberto I, reopened after more than half a century. Sustainable food and cocktails, exhibitions, live music, film and talks, where nineteenth-century elegance meets the energy of the present.
Opening
Brunch
Mon–Thu
6pm–12am
—
Fri
6pm–1am
—
Sat
10am–1am
10am–3pm
Sun
10am–12am
10am–3pm
All cicchetti 4 € · Crispy bread flavoured with butter, oil and herbs
Spiced fermented Chinese cabbage, hot and umami
Gluten · Soya · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Smoked aubergine with basil oil
Sesame · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Braised red cabbage and leek, bound with fresh cream cheese
Gluten · Milk · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Pumpkin melting into cheese fondue, amaretto to finish
Gluten · Milk · Nuts
4 €
Sun-dried tomatoes, capers and anchovies blended into a Mediterranean-inspired pesto, with toasted almonds for a delightful crunch
Gluten · Nuts · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Marinated sardines with sweet onion, raisins and crunchy pine nuts
Fish · Nuts · Sulphites · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Cheese fondue with prosciutto crudo.
Gluten · Milk · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Lardo melting on warm bread, with honey and crunchy walnuts
Gluten · Nuts · Gluten (bread)
4 €
BBQ pulled chicken with a fresh yogurt coleslaw of red and white cabbage and carrot
Gluten · Eggs · Milk · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Seared Romanesco cabbage with anchovy and a smoky note of pimento
Gluten · Fish · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Roasted pepper softening the savoury anchovy
Gluten · Fish · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Zucchina alla scapece with pineapple marinated in Whiskey
Gluten · Sulphites · Gluten (bread)
4 €
Melted Gruyère, fanned green apple and crispy speck crumble
Milk · Gluten (bread)
4 €
No dishes match this filter
Perfect with a glass of wine or combined for a full dinner
Chickpeas, tahini, extra virgin olive oil and spices, served with raw vegetables for dipping
Gluten · Sesame · Lupin · Gluten (bread)
Crispy fried potatoes paired with basil mayonnaise
Gluten · Eggs
Seasonal aubergine, carrot, potato, courgette and onion, with fresh herbs and extra virgin olive oil, served with bread
Gluten (bread)
Sicilian chickpea fritters with burrata cream, sweet-and-sour onion and toasted sesame
Gluten · Milk · Sesame
Roast-beef English style, pink inside, with fried panelle and our tartare sauce
Gluten · Eggs · Mustard · Lupin
Piedmontese ravioli del plin filled with herbs, dressed with butter and sage
Gluten · Eggs · Milk
Veal meatballs with delicate coconut milk and savoury king oyster mushrooms
Gluten · Eggs
No dishes match this filter
To share between two or four, served with bread and a glass of wine
Seasonal cheeses, fresh to aged, with today’s jam and bread served separately
Milk · Gluten (bread)
Cold cuts sliced to order, with bread served separately
Gluten (bread)
Cold cuts and cheeses together, with today’s jam and bread served separately
Milk · Gluten (bread)
No dishes match this filter
To finish
Torta di nocciole del Piemonte, served with cream and chocolate shavings
Gluten · Eggs · Milk · Nuts
No dishes match this filter
No cover charge. Extra bread, should you wish for more, is one euro.
For allergies and intolerances, please ask our staff
Prosecco, soda + Aperol · Campari · Cynar · Select · Hugo
Campari, Carpano red vermouth, soda
Campari, Carpano red vermouth, prosecco
Gin, Campari, Carpano red vermouth
Bourbon, Campari, Carpano red vermouth
Rum, lime, sugar
Tequila, lime, grapefruit soda, salt
Tequila, triple sec, lime, salt
Tequila, lime, agave syrup
T+, sugar, lemon, plant-based foam
Gin, sugar, lemon, soda
Whisky, Angostura, sugar
Gin, dry vermouth, olive or lemon twist
Vodka, tomato, lemon, Worcestershire, Tabasco, salt, pepper
Gin, tonic water · if you have a preference for gin, just ask us
Vodka, tonic water
Lime, ginger beer + vodka · gin · rum
Fernet, Coca Cola
Cynar, grapefruit soda
Sugar, lemon, soda + vodka · gin · whisky (8) · mezcal · pisco (9)
Punt & Mes · Campari
Whiskey, red apple juice, lemon, sugar syrup
Vodka, triple sec, lemon, cranberry
Vodka, hibiscus, mallow, cinnamon, rosemary, citric acid, sugar, CO2 · Light and refreshing
Tequila, agave, lime, cucumber, habanero chilli, tajín
Carpano red vermouth, sugar and bitters
Calvados, gin and tonic water
Gin 00, rose syrup · soda · cucumber
Agave, lime, grapefruit and soda
Tonic · Molecola · Molecola Zero
small / medium
Carpano Classico · Antica Formula · Cocchi Storico · Cocchi Dopo Teatro · Cocchi Americano · Oltremare Bianco · Oltremare Rosso
Sansimone · Cynar · Camatti · Jefferson · Amaro Amara · Fernet Branca · Amaro Sibilla · Mandragola · Genepì · Porto · Mirto · Moscato Liquoroso
La Felce · Malvasia, Trebbiano, Vermentino · white
Batterieberg · white
Domaine de Courbissac · rosé
Alasia · sparkling
Ferghettina · sparkling
Alasia · sparkling
Casina Bric · Nebbiolo · red
Tenuta dei fiori · Barbera d'Asti · red
Ferdinando Principiano · Piedmont · red
Cantina Luli · Barbera d'Alba · red wine
Roots & Vineyards · Arneis · orange
Valfaccenda · Barbera · red
Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 3pm
The galette is Brittany's savoury crêpe: a batter of buckwheat flour, water and salt, cooked thin on the griddle and folded around its filling.
Buckwheat, naturally gluten-free and egg-free
Cured ham and toma cheese
Cured ham, toma cheese and egg
Seasonal vegetables and fresh cheese
Spinach, toma cheese, lardo and orange marmalade
Gorgonzola, figs, walnuts and honey
Lardo, fig jam and goat cheese
The same buckwheat galettes, sweet.
Our selection changes constantly — ask the staff!
small / medium
Campari & Fresh orange juice
Prosecco & Orange Juice
Pils & Sprite
We only pour wines from small growers: farmers who tend their own vines and do little in the cellar. Tap a wine to meet the people behind it.
Wine by the glass 5–7 · Our selection changes constantly, ask the staff!
Barbera · Piedmont · Cerrina Monferrato (AL)
Barbera fermented and aged in concrete, no wood. Cherry, raspberry, plum and liquorice, with a note of violet; juicy, with soft tannins.
Montaldo di Cerrina (Cerrina Monferrato), Piemonte, Italia
Fabrizio Iuli grew up in his mother's restaurant, where the family wine was the house wine. His grandfather had planted Barbera in the 1930s, and Fabrizio began bottling in 1998.
The vineyard
The vines face south and were planted between 1940 and 1999. The soil is poor, with a limestone vein that gives the wine its acidity.
How they work
In the vineyard they have worked without chemicals for generations, though Fabrizio dislikes the bureaucracy of certification. In the cellar he uses natural yeasts and does not filter or fine.
Dolcetto · Piedmont · Monforte d'Alba (CN)
Pure Dolcetto, short maceration and ageing in steel: a light red, low in alcohol, to drink young.
Italia, Monforte d'Alba (CN), Piemonte
Ferdinando Principiano comes from a farming family. In 1992, after studying oenology, he took over the family property, then seven hectares. Around 2003 he changed course and removed additives and machinery from the cellar.
The vineyard
The vineyards are in Monforte d'Alba, in the Langhe, and are certified organic.
How they work
The Dolcetto ferments without added sulphites and macerates for two to three weeks. It then rests ten months in steel.
In place of copper he uses algae and aloe in his vineyard treatments.
Barbera and Dolcetto · Piedmont · Roddi (CN)
Roddi, Langhe, Piemonte, Italia
Gian Luca Colombo founded his estate in 2011, after years as a consultant for wineries across Italy. In Roddi, in the heart of the Langhe, he works on a small scale.
The vineyard
Two vineyards of Pelaverga Piccolo at 220 metres, facing south and south-east.
How they work
He intervenes as little as possible and lets the vintage speak. The vines are certified organic and biodynamic. The Pelaverga ferments with wild yeasts and ages in clay amphora.
He makes his wine in the garage beneath his house.
Corvina 70% Rondinella 30% · Verona
• Colore: Rosso rubino brillante. • Profumo: Fruttato, fresco e diretto. • Sapore: In bocca è fresco, sapido, armonico e di facile beva, caratterizzato da tannini morbidi, un'acidità viva e un finale pulito con un leggero rimando ammandorlato
Lago di Garda, Veneto, Italia
Tenuta La Cà is an estate on the Verona side of Lake Garda that is also a farm stay. It makes reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wines.
The vineyard
For Vin da Ciacole the vines grow on morainic, chalky soils at 150 metres.
How they work
Certified organic farming, hand harvest and native yeasts in steel.
The estate is also a farm stay.
Valfaccenda
Barbera
glass 5 €
Beyond the border
Mencia · Spain · Galicia
Mencía with other grapes from old vines, whole-bunch, with long maceration and ageing in neutral wood.
Fornelos, Grixoa e Buxán, sud della Ribeira Sacra, Galizia, Spagna
Fedellos do Couto is the project of Curro Barreño and Jesús Olivares, who come from the Gredos area. They work vineyards in Galicia near Viana do Bolo, on the edge of Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras.
The vineyard
Old vines, 60 to 80 years old, on steep terraces between 600 and 850 metres, on granite, schist and mica-rich soils. Everything is done by hand.
How they work
Farming from sustainable to organic, fermentations with indigenous yeasts, bottled without fining or filtration.
Mencía, Mouraton and Garnacha Tintorera grow alongside a share of white grapes.
Carignan and Syrah · France · Occitania
Carignan and Syrah: a fresh, fruit-driven red that drinks easily.
Bellegarde, Costières de Nîmes, Gard, Occitania, Francia
Sylvain Boutée founded the domaine in 2003 with his parents, after studying winemaking in several French regions. It lies in Bellegarde, between Nîmes and Arles.
The vineyard
About ten hectares on rolled pebbles, with strong sun and the mistral.
How they work
Organic and biodynamic farming. Hand harvest in crates, native yeasts, whole bunch or destemmed, gentle macerations and ageing on lees.
Besides Costières de Nîmes he makes Clairette de Bellegarde, a rare appellation.
Mourvèdre and Carignan · France · Rhône Valley
A Costières de Nîmes red from marl, limestone and pebble soils. Native yeasts, long maceration, ageing in concrete and wood, unfined and unfiltered.
Francia, Costières de Nîmes, Valle del Rodano meridionale
François Collard took over the family estate in 1990 and bottled the first vintage under the château name in 1993. He now runs it with his wife Anne.
The vineyard
The vineyards are in the southern Rhône, covered with galets, the round stones also known from Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
How they work
Organic for years and now also certified biodynamic. Sulphites are used only at bottling, in low doses.
Syrah · France · Languedoc-Roussillon
A red of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre from schist, with long maceration and ageing in cask.
Faugères, Languedoc, Francia
The domaine was founded in 1870 by the Alquier family and was known as Jean-Michel Alquier. In 2017 Sophie and Thibaud Bardi took it over, together with some members of the original family.
The vineyard
Twelve hectares at about 340 metres, on schist and clay in Faugères.
How they work
Certified organic viticulture and hand harvesting. Les Premières, the red from grey schist, spends twelve to fourteen months in oak barrels.
The new cellar is built underground.
Syrah, Grenache, Carignan · France · Languedoc
A Languedoc red of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.
Rouffiac-d'Aude, Limoux, Languedoc, Francia
Château de Gaure stands on a hill that was once an oppidum, above the Aude valley. Pierre Fabre took it over in 2004.
The vineyard
Limoux plantings include Chardonnay and Chenin among others; the reds are described as Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.
How they work
Biodynamic farming, Demeter certified. In the cellar only indigenous yeasts, long fermentations, very low sulphites, no fining.
Pierre Fabre is also a sculptor and painter, and paints the labels.
Grenache, Syrah, Carignan · France · Languedoc
Old-vine Carignan and Grenache with Syrah and Mourvèdre: soft, round, lively fruit.
Vingrau, Valle dell'Agly, Roussillon, Francia
Hervé Bizeul, a former Paris sommelier and restaurateur, founded the domaine in 1998. In 1981 he had been named France's best young sommelier.
The vineyard
Vineyards in the Agly valley, on clay-limestone soils. Carignan, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Lladoner Pelut, with vines between 50 and 100 years old.
How they work
Very low yields, as little as 12 hectolitres per hectare for the top cuvées. Ageing in oak, with some wines bottled unfiltered.
Les Sorcières is the entry cuvée and makes up about half of production.
Languedoc, Francia
Fenouillèdes / Maury, Roussillon, Francia
Domaine de la Préceptorie was founded in 2001 at Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, in the Fenouillèdes. Its founders were former members of the Maury cooperative and the younger generation of Domaine de la Rectorie. The Parcé brothers run it today.
The vineyard
About thirty hectares, planted to grenache, carignan, mourvèdre, syrah, macabeu and grenache gris.
How they work
Harvest is by hand, intervention is kept low, and fermentations rely on native yeasts.
The cuvée's name, Copain comme Cochon, is a small act of defiance: wine as bread once was, part of everyday life.
Languedoc, Francia
Aniane, Hérault, Languedoc, Francia
A small domaine in Aniane, in the Hérault hinterland, created by Jean-Emmanuel Parcé, of the family behind Domaine de la Rectorie in Banyuls.
The vineyard
About ten hectares in a hilly, wild landscape, on gravel, limestone pebbles and yellow marl.
How they work
Organic and sustainable farming, with little intervention and attention to soil life.
The wine is conceived as a blend of several varieties rather than a single-grape bottling.
Chiaretto di Bardolino
Bardolino Classico Chiaretto from organic grapes: a light rosé.
Lago di Garda, Veneto, Italia
Tenuta La Cà is an estate on the Verona side of Lake Garda that is also a farm stay. It makes reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wines.
The vineyard
For Vin da Ciacole the vines grow on morainic, chalky soils at 150 metres.
How they work
Certified organic farming, hand harvest and native yeasts in steel.
The estate is also a farm stay.
Merlot and Barbera · Umbria · Arrone (TR)
A rosé of Merlot and Barbera, fresh and fruity.
Arrone (Valnerina), Umbria, Italia
Francesco Annesanti holds a degree in natural sciences and makes wine following family tradition, handed down from his grandparents and father. The estate is in Arrone, in the Valnerina.
The vineyard
He farms about twenty hectares of grechetto, trebbiano spoletino, malvasia, pecorino, barbera, aleatico, sangiovese and merlot. The soil is marine in origin, rich in carbonates.
How they work
He works with little intervention: native yeasts, short macerations, steel and a few Tuscan terracotta amphorae. Suppriscola ferments without sulphites and is bottled unfiltered.
He bottles during the waning moon.
Sangiovese · Tuscany · Val d'Arno (AR)
Pure Sangiovese, spontaneous fermentation in steel, coral in colour. Raspberry, redcurrant, violet petals and a herbal note; agile and light to drink.
Civitella in Val di Chiana (AR), Toscana, Italia
Podere Ortica is a small estate in the Arezzo hills, between the Valdichiana and the Valdarno. It works native grapes and looks for easy-drinking wines, balanced rather than powerful.
How they work
In the vineyard it is organic: green manure, propolis, essential oils, algae, copper and sulphur. In the cellar, spontaneous fermentations, short macerations in concrete or steel, bottled unfiltered in summer.
The name Agadè comes from the owners' children, Agostino and Adele, and the label shows a chick.
Beyond the border
Carignan · France · Occitania
Bellegarde, Costières de Nîmes, Gard, Occitania, Francia
Sylvain Boutée founded the domaine in 2003 with his parents, after studying winemaking in several French regions. It lies in Bellegarde, between Nîmes and Arles.
The vineyard
About ten hectares on rolled pebbles, with strong sun and the mistral.
How they work
Organic and biodynamic farming. Hand harvest in crates, native yeasts, whole bunch or destemmed, gentle macerations and ageing on lees.
Besides Costières de Nîmes he makes Clairette de Bellegarde, a rare appellation.
90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre · France · Languedoc
A rosé of Grenache with a little Mourvèdre, from decades-old vines on limestone clay. Whole-bunch direct pressing and spontaneous fermentation in concrete.
Francia, La Livinière (Minervois), Languedoc
The domaine was founded in 2002 by Reinhard Brundig, a German film producer. Since 2013 it has been run by vigneronne Brunnhilde Claux.
The vineyard
The vineyards lie at the foot of the Montagne Noire, between 250 and 450 metres, on clay-limestone with gravel and sandstone. There are also 90-year-old Grenache and 70-year-old Carignan vines.
How they work
Farming is biodynamic, with each plot hand-harvested separately. Fermentations in concrete and wooden vats; sulphites only before bottling.
Grenache, Syrah · Pic Saint-Loup, Francia
Pic Saint-Loup, Languedoc, Francia
Xavier, Pierre and Jean-Marc Ravaille founded the domaine in 1992 beneath the Pic Saint-Loup. The family has ties to this land going back to the thirteenth century. The site is an old hermitage, once home to the bishops of Maguelone, and the three fish on the label recall the three brothers.
The vineyard
Marly limestone, dolomite, red and white clay, sand and rounded galets. Nights are cool and ripening is slow.
How they work
Biodynamic since 1999 and certified organic. In the cellar, native yeasts and minimal handling.
Local legend says Saint Thieri Loup, one of three crusading brothers, became a hermit.
Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre · Languedoc
Faugères, Languedoc, Francia
The domaine was founded in 1870 by the Alquier family and was known as Jean-Michel Alquier. In 2017 Sophie and Thibaud Bardi took it over, together with some members of the original family.
The vineyard
Twelve hectares at about 340 metres, on schist and clay in Faugères.
How they work
Certified organic viticulture and hand harvesting. Les Premières, the red from grey schist, spends twelve to fourteen months in oak barrels.
The new cellar is built underground.
Verona IGT · Bardolino (VR)
A white from Verona of Corvina and Rondinella vinified white, with Garganega and Pinot Grigio, aged a few months on the lees. Light and cheerful.
Lago di Garda, Veneto, Italia
Tenuta La Cà is an estate on the Verona side of Lake Garda that is also a farm stay. It makes reds, whites, rosés and sparkling wines.
The vineyard
For Vin da Ciacole the vines grow on morainic, chalky soils at 150 metres.
How they work
Certified organic farming, hand harvest and native yeasts in steel.
The estate is also a farm stay.
Verdicchio · Marche · Montecarotto (AN)
Pure Verdicchio, spontaneous fermentation and long ageing on the lees, unfiltered. A lively, dynamic white.
Montecarotto, Marche, Italia
Three generations of Crognalettis: grandfather Enrico, a cooper and Verdicchio producer, father Gino, who selected old clones in the old vineyards, and now Natalino with his mother Vera Biondini. They have bottled since 1995.
The vineyard
The vineyards lie between Montecarotto, Ostra, Ostra Vetere and Corinaldo.
How they work
Organic and biodynamic farming. Spontaneous fermentations with indigenous yeasts, long ageing on lees, no fining or filtration.
Natalino says: if the wine is good this way, I keep making it this way.
Arneis orange · Piedmont · La Morra (CN)
Skin-macerated Arneis, an orange wine with little sulphur. The name, Coclicò, is dialect for the poppy, and for the colour.
Italia, La Morra (CN), Piemonte
Radici e Filari is the natural wine line of the Buganza family in La Morra. Renato Buganza founded the estate in the 1970s; his son Emanuele now leads the work and introduced biodynamics.
The vineyard
The vineyards cover 8.5 hectares in La Morra and 2.5 in Asti, on clay and calcareous marl. Some vines date back to 1945.
How they work
Farming is organic with biodynamic practices. Spontaneous fermentations, very low sulphites, wines unfined and unfiltered.
Cortese · Piedmont · Gavi (AL)
Cortese from Gavi: a light, fresh white with lively acidity and notes of pear and green apple.
Italia, Gavi / Oltregiogo (AL), Piemonte
Terre di Matè began in 2013, when Stefania Carrea inherited her father Matteo's vineyard and decided to make wine. The name honours him; locally he was known as Maté.
The vineyard
The vineyard is Cortese, planted in 1990, at 250 metres on mostly clay soils in the Oltregiogo area near the Ligurian border.
How they work
Vineyard work is manual and certified organic. In the cellar Stefania favours natural fermentation.
Among her wines is L'Anfora, a white macerated in terracotta.
Pecorino orange · Umbria · Arrone (TR)
Pecorino macerated on the skins: golden in colour, savoury and taut.
Arrone (Valnerina), Umbria, Italia
Francesco Annesanti holds a degree in natural sciences and makes wine following family tradition, handed down from his grandparents and father. The estate is in Arrone, in the Valnerina.
The vineyard
He farms about twenty hectares of grechetto, trebbiano spoletino, malvasia, pecorino, barbera, aleatico, sangiovese and merlot. The soil is marine in origin, rich in carbonates.
How they work
He works with little intervention: native yeasts, short macerations, steel and a few Tuscan terracotta amphorae. Suppriscola ferments without sulphites and is bottled unfiltered.
He bottles during the waning moon.
Fiano di Avellino · Campania · Cesinali (AV)
Pure Fiano di Avellino, fermented in steel with wild yeasts.
Cesinali, Avellino, Campania, Italia
The Sarno family has tended these vines for generations; Antonio Sarno acquired the estate in the mid-1990s from a Neapolitan baron. Today Luigi welcomes guests for tastings and stays.
The vineyard
Volcanic soils rich in minerals, planted to Fiano.
How they work
EU organic certification. Hand harvest, soft pressing without destemming, fermentation in steel without added yeasts for about two weeks.
One of the founders of ViTi, the Viticoltori d'Irpinia network.
Spoltore (PE)
Pure Pecorino from Abruzzo: a fresh, direct white.
Spoltore, Pescara, Abruzzo, Italia
Podere della Torre is a family estate in Spoltore, a few kilometres from the sea and from Pescara. It stands for craftsmanship, traceability and a bond with its land.
The vineyard
The historic vineyards were planted in 1970. Olive trees grow among the rows.
How they work
An organic estate, with native-yeast fermentations and ageing on lees.
Daniele Ricci
Piemonte, Colli Tortonesi
Cortese
Daniele Ricci
Piemonte, Colli Tortonesi
Beyond the border
Clairette · France · Occitania
Clairette de Bellegarde: an almost transparent white, mineral and lively, with citrus notes.
Bellegarde, Costières de Nîmes, Gard, Occitania, Francia
Sylvain Boutée founded the domaine in 2003 with his parents, after studying winemaking in several French regions. It lies in Bellegarde, between Nîmes and Arles.
The vineyard
About ten hectares on rolled pebbles, with strong sun and the mistral.
How they work
Organic and biodynamic farming. Hand harvest in crates, native yeasts, whole bunch or destemmed, gentle macerations and ageing on lees.
Besides Costières de Nîmes he makes Clairette de Bellegarde, a rare appellation.
Chenin · France · Loire
Touraine, Loira, Francia
Les Pierres d'Aurèle is a family estate run by Pierre and Aurélie, who took over the vineyard in 2010. It lies in Touraine, in the Loir-et-Cher.
The vineyard
The soil is clay and silica, typical of Chenonceaux. The vines are between 15 and 105 years old.
How they work
Yields are deliberately low and much of the vineyard is converting to organic farming. The range is wide, from Touraine Sauvignon to a Pineau d'Aunis rosé.
Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc · France · Languedoc
A white of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, from Limoux.
Rouffiac-d'Aude, Limoux, Languedoc, Francia
Château de Gaure stands on a hill that was once an oppidum, above the Aude valley. Pierre Fabre took it over in 2004.
The vineyard
Limoux plantings include Chardonnay and Chenin among others; the reds are described as Syrah, Grenache and Carignan.
How they work
Biodynamic farming, Demeter certified. In the cellar only indigenous yeasts, long fermentations, very low sulphites, no fining.
Pierre Fabre is also a sculptor and painter, and paints the labels.
Petit Manseng and Gros Manseng · France · Pyrenees
Dry Jurançon from Petit and Gros Manseng, grapes born for sweet wines that here give a dry, taut white.
Francia, Jurançon, Pirenei Atlantici, Sud-Ovest
Clos Lapeyre was a mixed farm. In 1985 Jean-Bernard Larrieu stopped selling grapes to the cooperative and began to vinify, age and bottle his own wine.
The vineyard
The vines grow on steep slopes at about 250 metres, on pebbly clay-limestone and flint. The grapes are Petit Manseng, Gros Manseng and Courbu.
How they work
Farming is certified organic, with ploughing between the rows. Larrieu says the wine is made in the vineyard.
Roussane, Marsanne, Grenache · France · Languedoc
Faugères, Languedoc, Francia
The domaine was founded in 1870 by the Alquier family and was known as Jean-Michel Alquier. In 2017 Sophie and Thibaud Bardi took it over, together with some members of the original family.
The vineyard
Twelve hectares at about 340 metres, on schist and clay in Faugères.
How they work
Certified organic viticulture and hand harvesting. Les Premières, the red from grey schist, spends twelve to fourteen months in oak barrels.
The new cellar is built underground.
Riesling · Germany · Moselle
Dry Riesling Kabinett, fermented in steel: ripe fruit, flint, slate and herbs.
Enkirch, Mosella, Germania
Enkirch appears in a document of 908. Between 1841 and 1846 Carl August Immich blasted the slope with dynamite to give the vines more sun, hence the name 'Batterieberg'. Since 2010 it belongs to Hamburg families, and Gernot Kollmann has made the wine since 2009.
The vineyard
Seven and a half hectares in four vineyards, Riesling only, with vines about 60 years old, largely ungrafted. Batterieberg is a 1.1-hectare monopole.
How they work
Organic farming. Late harvest, no additives or deacidification; the Cai is the only wine fermented in steel.
The Cai blends fruit from the Saar, Middle Mosel and the Enkirch vineyards.
Pinot Noir · Piedmont · Acqui Terme (AT)
Pure Pinot Noir with a long time on the lees: apple, citrus and honey, then brioche and toasted notes.
Acqui Terme, Monferrato, Alessandria, Piemonte, Italia
Il Cascinone is an estate in the Monferrato hills, bought by Araldica in 1999. Its Alta Langa is sold under the Alasia name.
The vineyard
The sparkling wines use grapes from the coolest sites on the estate.
How they work
Hand harvest, whole-bunch pressing, cold fermentation and bottle refermentation. Four years on the lees in an underground cellar.
The wine is disgorged after hand riddling.
Pinot Noir · Piedmont · Acqui Terme (AT)
Pure Pinot Noir, pale pink, with a long time on the lees: strawberry, raspberry and bread crust.
Acqui Terme, Monferrato, Alessandria, Piemonte, Italia
Il Cascinone is an estate in the Monferrato hills, bought by Araldica in 1999. Its Alta Langa is sold under the Alasia name.
The vineyard
The sparkling wines use grapes from the coolest sites on the estate.
How they work
Hand harvest, whole-bunch pressing, cold fermentation and bottle refermentation. Four years on the lees in an underground cellar.
The wine is disgorged after hand riddling.
Chardonnay 95% and Pinot Noir 5% · Lombardy · Adro (BS)
Traditional-method sparkling from Chardonnay with a little Pinot Noir, matured at length on the lees. Fragrant, fresh and lively.
Adro (BS), Franciacorta, Lombardia, Italia
Ferghettina is a family estate founded in 1991 by Roberto Gatti in Adro, south of Lake Iseo. Today he runs it with his wife Andreina and their children Laura and Matteo.
The vineyard
About 70% of the vines are chardonnay, the rest mostly pinot noir, at 250-300 metres.
How they work
The estate has been certified organic by Valoritalia since 2017. It relies on careful blending and long bottle ageing on the lees.
Matteo patented a square-based bottle, which increases contact with the yeasts.
Beyond the border
Chenin Blanc · France · Loire
Sparkling Chenin Blanc from Vouvray, spontaneously fermented.
Francia, Vouvray (Chançay, Reugny, Vernou), Loira
Sébastien Brunet took over Domaine Roche Fleurie in 2006, after the sudden death of his father Michel. He had worked six harvests beside him. The family has farmed in Vouvray for generations.
The vineyard
The vineyards are in the Brenne valley: Reugny, Chançay (where the tufa cellar is) and Vernou. Soils are clay with flint.
How they work
Hand harvest in small crates, slow pressing, native yeasts only. The vineyards are being converted to organic.
95% Pinot Noir, 5% Chardonnay · France · Champagne
Arconville e Urville, Côte des Bar, Aube, Champagne, Francia
The Gaucher family has grown grapes for five generations at Arconville and Urville, in the Côte des Bar. It is a small family estate, now run by Guillaume and Valérie Gaucher. They make wine only from their own grapes, as a récoltant-manipulant.
The vineyard
Vineyards partly owned and partly leased, on limestone-rich soils. Pinot noir and chardonnay dominate.
How they work
Viticulture and harvest are done by hand. Fermentation in stainless steel, blending of parcels, second fermentation in bottle and long ageing on the lees.
95% Pinot Noir, 5% Chardonnay · France · Champagne
A rosé Champagne of Pinot Noir with a little Chardonnay: fresh almond, white flowers and buttery notes, fine and fresh to drink.
Arconville e Urville, Côte des Bar, Aube, Champagne, Francia
The Gaucher family has grown grapes for five generations at Arconville and Urville, in the Côte des Bar. It is a small family estate, now run by Guillaume and Valérie Gaucher. They make wine only from their own grapes, as a récoltant-manipulant.
The vineyard
Vineyards partly owned and partly leased, on limestone-rich soils. Pinot noir and chardonnay dominate.
How they work
Viticulture and harvest are done by hand. Fermentation in stainless steel, blending of parcels, second fermentation in bottle and long ageing on the lees.
Beyond the border
Pear cider · France · Normandy
A perry from many old pear varieties, with a single fermentation that finishes in the bottle; lightly sweet and sparkling.
Sud della Normandia (zona Domfrontais), Francia
Eric Bordelet took over the family estate in 1992, after working in restaurants and wine, and brought that palate to cider and perry.
The vineyard
23 hectares of organic orchards planted from 1996 around Château de Hauteville in southern Normandy, on granite soils.
How they work
Organic with biodynamic soil practices. Natural fermentation, minimal intervention.
The pears are left to dry for four to five weeks before pressing.